Charter court accepts petition over ballot QR codes, election at risk

The Constitutional Court voted 6:3 today to accept for consideration a petition submitted by the Ombudsman’s Office on behalf of members of the public, questioning the legality of printing barcodes and QR codes on ballot papers used in the February 8 general election.

The petitioners claim that the codes on the ballots could be traced to individual voters and reveal how they voted, thereby undermining the constitutional requirement for secrecy and violating voters’ rights.

Former Supreme Court judge Wat Tingsamit said in a Facebook post today that the Constitutional Court’s acceptance of the petition amounts to recognition of the principle of the secret ballot in elections, in accordance with Articles 83 and 85 of the Constitution.

Earlier in February, the People’s Party called for a re-run of the general election and the destruction of the ballot papers, claiming that the barcodes and QR codes could be traced to voters and reveal how they voted if images of ballots showing serial numbers, barcode references for specific polling units and photos of marked ballots are matched.

The February 8 election risks being nullified if the Constitutional Court rules that the use of such codes on ballots is unconstitutional.